EU, Latin Am. Urge Big U.N. Role in Iraq

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, March 26, 2003

The United Nations must have a key role in rebuilding Iraq even though the world body never endorsed the war, the European Union and Latin American nations said Thursday.

At a gathering of foreign ministers from all South American countries, Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou said there was agreement on rebuilding Iraq.

"The U.N. should be playing a central role … both for the humanitarian problem we are facing now and what we will be facing in terms of reconstruction," said Papandreou, whose country holds the EU presidency.

The United States is hesitant to give the United Nations a lead role in Iraqi reconstruction despite heavy lobbying from Britain. Papandreou said British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who held talks earlier in the day with President Bush, has "been quite strong on this point."

"This is a position that the EU is very strong on. A joint commitment, a joint political will to support the U.N. worldwide but also in Iraq," Papandreou said.

Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez said his country will "do all it can to solve the crisis" when it assumes the Security Council presidency next month.

Many Latin American ministers showed up in this seaside resort near Athens for a two-day meeting to urge Europeans to open free trade talks. But only five of the EU's 15 foreign ministers _ from Greece, Austria, Ireland, Portugal and Spain _ attended, with most staying away to focus on the war.

Greece tried to tone down criticism that the EU was not taking relations with Latin America seriously.